This invention relates to coin handling, and particularly to an apparatus and method for recognizing and rejecting unwanted coins before the coins reach sorting stations in a coin sorter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,899 issued Mar. 22, 1994, for "Two Disc Coin Handling Apparatus", discloses a coin sorter in which there is a rotating feed disc that forms the bottom of a coin hopper and a stationary sorter plate to one side of the feed disc. The sorter plate includes a circular sorting track that begins at a point adjacent to the perimeter of the feed disc. The sorter plate includes a series of spaced sorting openings each of which can be sized for a particular coin denomination. A second rotating disc has a series of resilient fingers extending downwardly from its underside. The second disc is mounted above and in close proximity to the upper surface of the sorter plate. The fingers partially overlap the upper surface of the feed disc. Coins deposited in the hopper are formed into a single file and a single layer, and the single file of coins is carried by the flexible fingers from the feed disc to the sorting track where the coins are sorted by size and counted as they pass through the sorting openings.
Coin sorters, including the sorter described in the above-identified patent, are typically configured to sort a particular mix of denominations of coins or tokens. While the mix can be adjusted, coins or tokens that are outside the established mix cannot be sorted. The problem is most often encountered when a mass of coins contains coins from more than one country. The present invention provides an apparatus and method which senses each coin as it passes a position on the track in advance of the sorting stations to determine the denomination of the coin. If the denomination sensed is one of the acceptable coins, the coin will be passed to the sorting stations. If the coin or token is not of an acceptable denomination, the sensed coin will be physically moved from the track to an off-sorting station so that it does not reach the sorting stations.